Having made a big batch of apple butter, I thought it would taste lovely in a cake. So I baked a rum raisin apple butter cake, frosted with spiced vanilla buttercream. What could be better for winter than such cozy, warming, delicious flavors, right? I also made a gingerbread house from scratch, which I had intended to place on top of the cake. But the house ended up much bigger than I planned. So I just decorated my cake with some pretty piped peaks of buttercream, like snow-covered mountain tops.
Looking for more holiday recipes? You’ll love this pumpkin cake with chocolate leaves, apple cider layer cake with maple buttercream, and baked gingerbread doughnuts.
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Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour. Creates a structured cake batter.
- Dark Brown Sugar. Adds sweetness, moisture, and a hint of molasses flavor.
- Baking Soda. Leavens the cake, making it rise.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Apple Butter. Adds flavor, moisture and spice.
- Vegetable Oil. Adds moisture.
- Whole Milk. For moisture and richness.
- Spiced Rum. Adds flavor. Be sure to use a dark spiced rum, not a white rum. Although the alcohol bakes off, for an alcohol-free version, substitute the rum with water.
- Eggs. Adds richness and structure.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
- Raisins. A delicious textural contrast to the soft cake.
This is a “whisk and bake” kind of cake, which is the easiest to make. You don’t need to cream the butter and sugar, simply whisk together the dry ingredients, whisk in the liquid ingredients and bake. This rum raisin apple butter cake is so moist and flavorful, and just delicious with the spiced vanilla buttercream. Another fantastic option would be cream cheese buttercream.
Instructions
Whisk the Batter and Bake.
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the wet ingredients and whisk to combine, then fold in the raisins. Cake making doesn’t get easier than this.
Divide the batter between greased pans and bake until done. Be sure to cool the cakes completely before frosting them.
Make the Buttercream.
If you haven’t read my post, How to Make Perfect American Buttercream, you really should. I’ve shared a wealth of information to help you make the best buttercream you’ve ever tasted.
I paired my rum raisin apple butter cake with spiced vanilla buttercream with a pinch of salt, and it’s just fantastic.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading my comprehensive post on making Perfect American Buttercream.
A Homemade Gingerbread House for Christmas
We’ve been decorating for Christmas this week and brought home our first real tree. It smells wonderfully of pine and winter and cozy evenings at home.
I baked gingerbread, too, having rolled out the dough and cut the house from templates I drew up. The gingerbread is heavily spiced, and so fragrant, its scent filling our kitchen with the aromas of molasses, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
After assembling the sides, roof and chimney with royal icing, I thinned out the icing with a little water to decorate the house, embellishing it with drifts of snow and dripping icicles. It was my first time baking and decorating a gingerbread house from scratch, and it was so much work that I have no intention of letting anyone eat it.
You Might Also Like
Apple Crumb Muffins 
Caramel Apple Crumble 
Apple Cider Cake 
Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts
Favorite Products
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Rum Raisin Apple Butter Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 ½ cups apple butter
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup dark spiced rum
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup raisins
Buttercream
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp meringue powder, optional
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp cloves
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2-4 tbsp milk or cream, if needed
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350, and spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.
- Add the apple butter, oil, milk, rum, eggs and vanilla, and whisk until combined. Fold in the raisins.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 20-22 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and meringue powder and mix to combine.
- Add the remaining ingredients and whip for 4-5 minutes on medium high speed until very light and fluffy. Only add the milk if needed for desired consistency.
- Fill, stack and frost the cooled cakes with the buttercream.
Oh wow, your gingerbread house is incredible! I tried making one (from scratch) last year, but it wasn't nearly as pretty as yours 🙂 Love the cake too, rum raisin + apple butter sounds like a great combo!
The cake was one of my favorites I've made – with the texture of the raisins, it reminded me of these raisin spice bars my mom used to make when I was little.
It is indeed perfection and beautifully presented! I love the cake and the advent calendar too..and you look beautiful w/ the tree.
I think next year, I will have to make a few little mini ones – someone also suggested that if I don't want to eat it, I could cheat and use hot glue to put the sides together, then cover it with icing. Might make that part a little easier. 🙂
I did that one year:)
But if you use your cookie cutter..to sort of guide it straight while assembling ..it works..look how cute Heather..it was worth it!
Love the gingerbread house!!
Thank you, Lynne! 🙂
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